


Behind the Scenes

by StarseekerWolf



Series: Selina and Liam [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 09:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20061889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarseekerWolf/pseuds/StarseekerWolf
Summary: The casting process was long and hard, but after three weeks of searching, Liam is finally about to find out who he'll be co-starring in this movie with. There's a catch, though, as his director tells them: in order to better sell the movie and boost sales, he and his female co-star have to pretend they're dating.





	Behind the Scenes

Liam wasn't usually nervous, but today, he was.

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying not to think about what the day had in store for him.

Today was the day he was going to meet his co-star.

He'd always wanted to be an actor, so when he got cast in famous director Gregory Hastel's new movie - Not Even an Ocean - straight out of high school, he was ecstatic. It felt like a dream come true, and now here he was, sitting in his own personal trailer.

The co-star's identity had been kept a secret from him. Perhaps in the name of anxiety-inducing mystery? All he knew was that she was a girl, and that was it.

_I hope she's pretty._

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt disgusted with himself, but he couldn't deny that it was true. It would be a lot easier to play the love interest if his co-star was attractive.

Not that the people on the other side of the screen would be able to tell the difference. That was the point of being an actor - you were supposed to be anything but yourself.

He got out of bed, trudging to the bathroom and splashing water on his face. _Here goes._

After throwing on a t-shirt and jeans, he made his way out of the trailer and towards the dining hall.

Ian, his on screen best friend, fell into step with him. "Morning," he said as a way of greeting.

They weren't particularly close yet, but Liam thought he was pretty cool. Ian was a few years older than him and about to graduate college (while filming, he was planning on finishing it up online), but due to his young looks, we was cast as a 17 year old high school student named Derek.

"Morning," Liam replied. "Ready to uncover the mystery at last?"

"I think I should be asking you that," Ian laughed. "Are you ready to meet your co-star?"

"I don't know. I'm kind of nervous." He blew out a breath. "What do you think she's like?"

"If by that you mean 'Ian, do you think she'll be hot?' my answer is yes. Haven't you seen anything on TV? No one ever casts unattractive girls."

Liam grimaced at how easily his intentions were read, but he felt slightly reassured. "Alright, yeah. I guess that makes sense."

Together, they made their way to the dining hall. It was less of a hall and more of a warehouse in which they ate, but still.

A lot of the cast was already sitting at the tables inside, shoveling food into their mouths in preparation of the big day.

The main cast wasn't too big, thankfully.

There was Nia/his co-star's best friend, Amelia.

There was Lakyn/his co-star's initial boyfriend, Cole.

There was Adelade/the main antagonist, Lila.

And there was Hallie/his on screen sister, Dara.

They were all around the same age, with Nia at 17 and Lakyn at 22. That made it fairly easy to get along, which they had done so in the past three weeks.

After grabbing some food, Liam and Ian sat down at a table with Nia and Lakyn. "Hey, guys," Liam greeted them. "How's it going?"

"I'm excited," Nia said around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "I can't wait to meet my online bestie."

"She could be awful," Lakyn pointed out. "What if she has a horrible personality?"

Nia glared at him. "Now _why_ would you say that?"

"I think it'll be fine," Ian interrupted. "And either way ... I mean, it's not really up to us."

_True enough._

Gregory Hastel strolled into the dining hall, his eyes gleaming. It was still surreal for Liam to think that he was going to be working with such a famous director.

"It's going to be a big day today!" Gregory announced, clapping his hands together. "The female star is arriving today, and I expect all of you to give her a warm welcome."

Ian leaned towards him. "Why is the warning necessary?" he muttered. "Maybe she really does have a horrible personality ... "

Liam didn't want to believe that, but still, he ate his breakfast with a feeling of foreboding in his stomach.

*****

When the car pulled up, I started to fidget. It was a sleek black limousine, the same one they'd used to pick me up from the airport, and it looked very fancy. As the door opened, I held my breath, a thousand thoughts running through my head at once.

_She's here, she's here._

_What if I hate her?_

_What if she hates me?_

And then he realized with startling clarity that he didn't want her to hate him.

When she stepped out of the car, he knew for certain that this was going to be difficult.

Not because she was unattractive, but because she was gorgeous.

It was a natural sort of pretty; she didn't look like she had any make up on, so he couldn't imagine what she would look like once she did. Still, she was beautiful just as she was, with long brown hair, delicate facial features, and a soft peppering of freckles on her upper cheeks. She looked like the kind of girl who would enjoy early morning walks on the beach and splashing around in the waves without a care in the world.

As she stepped out of the limousine, Gregory swept forward, grinning warmly. "Selina, Selina," he said, offering her a helping hand as she wobbled in her heels. "It's so good to have you on set at last!"

"It's good to be here," she smiled, and when her voice hit his ears, Liam knew he was intrigued. It was a confident but not arrogant voice, the voice of a person who had insecurities but recognized her worth nonetheless.

Her eyes flitted about the crowd that had gathered to welcome her, her fingers fidgeting at her side. _She's looking for me,_ Liam realized. He wasn't sure he had the guts to step forward and distinguish himself so boldly.

It turned out he didn't have to; Gregory led her directly to where he stood, beaming. "Selina, meet your co-star, Liam Mallen. Liam, this is Selina Rose."

Liam held out his hand, and she took it, giving it a firm shake. Her fingers were calloused, like she played the guitar.

"Nice to meet you," he said warmly. "They've been keeping you a secret for a few days now."

"Likewise," Selina grinned. "I'm glad the suspense is over."

He felt the exact same way.

Gregory looked absolutely delighted that they were speaking at last. "Alright, I'm sure Selina would like to settle in and perhaps take a shower. After that, though, I'd like to speak to you both in my office for a quick briefing. Liam, would you show her to her trailer?"

Liam nodded, and the director was off, no doubt bustling off to his office to prepare whatever it was he had to tell them.

"So ... " Selina trailed one foot behind the other. "I get my own trailer, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely," Liam confirmed, starting off in that direction. "I don't know how I could survive living with another person under these filming conditions."

The corner of her lip curled upwards. "I understand that. I have a sister back home, and she ... I mean, I love her, but she can be _so_ annoying sometimes! You know?"

"Not really," he shrugged awkwardly. "Only child."

"Wow," she muttered. "I can't even imagine having the house to myself." She shook her head. "Allie is great, but she can also be a stubborn ass at times."

Liam's brows shot up, and she chuckled. "I have no aversion to cursing, trust me. Let's just get that straight from the start."

"I'm fine with that," he assured her. "I have been known to let one slip from time to time."

He was about to say something else, anything else, to change the subject, but they'd reached her trailer, so he stopped, and she followed suit. "Here you are," he said. "Right ... next ... to mine."

Selina worried at her lip. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, yeah!" he said hurriedly. _A little too much, actually._ "I was just surprised. I didn't think the trailers would be arranged with any relation to onscreen stuff."

She shrugged. "Probably just for thematic purposes or something." She adjusted her scarf. "Anyway, I'm going to take a shower like Greg suggested. I'll knock when I'm done, if that's cool, and we can head to his office together?"

He found it odd that she called him 'Greg' but he decided not to think much of it. "Sounds good," Liam agreed. "I'll see you in a bit."

He turned at the same time she did, and they shut their trailer doors simultaneously.

He flopped onto his bed, grinning. This definitely wasn't going to be so bad after all. She seemed like a really cool person, and if nothing else, he hoped to get to know her better as a friend.

He was glad she didn't have a horrible personality like Lakyn had guessed. At least, it didn't seem like she did. All the more reason to get to know her.

Leaning over, he slid a book out from the shelf beside his bed and read for a bit. Eventually, he heard a knock at his door, and he marked his place before hopping to his feet and greeting Selina.

She hadn't bothered to blow dry her hair, and the look was honestly working for her. Together, they headed to Gregory's office.

"Come in, come in!" he exclaimed when they hovered in the doorway. "Have a seat."

It was less of an office and more of a den, in all honesty. Gregory's "chair" was really more of a chaise, and a comfortable one at that. There were Coke cans strewn about the room, and stacks of paper pointing in every direction.

Somehow, two chairs had been set up in front of the main desk, so he and Selina headed to them and took a seat. 

"So," Gregory said, clasping his hands together. "I'd like to talk to you about a part of your contract that you probably haven't read."

_Huh ... ?_ Of course Liam hadn't read his contract. Who read contracts? He and his parents had hired a lawyer to look it over, and that lawyer had said that there was nothing illegal or improper about it. He was starting to get concerned, though.

"As you know, romance in the movie industry can make or break sales, depending on how it's portrayed. I aim for the former." He leaned back in his chaise. "In order to give this movie the flare it needs to send initial interest skyrocketing, I want you two to pretend you're together."


End file.
